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A Main Hobbies . Boca Bearings . Modefo's RC Helicopters

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Century Hawk - Falcon - Raven - Predator > Radio Glitches
 
 
Falcon50SS
Senior Heliman
Location: Peoira, Arizona

I am hoping some one can point me in the right direction. I have a Falcon V1 that is giving me troubble, it seems that every once in a while the heli will give a jump or twitch either while flying or when starting to spool up. I thought there might be something loose on the chopper so I searched from one end to the other, and thought that it was the starter cone, (I have the metal one) the set screw was a little loose so I tightened it and went flying. That seemed to fix it for a while then suddenly I had the same problems again. Now I really took the heli apart, everything except the rotor head. Found nothing!

Went flying again, everything was great for about a week, then the problems started again. I started looking at the radio and servo's, mind you the servo's are new, (I tried replacing them first). I also noticed when I shook the reciever from the 8U the servo's went nuts! Well I sent the radio in for service and shure enough the RX had a bad board, well I thought I found it, I had put my old T6 in and I fired up the heli and had no problems for two weeks. Then it started again, man I am going crazy trying to find out what is wrong!

Well I am back to the drawing board trying to find out what is the cause of my problems.

Here is a list of what I have replaced / new:

All servo's , gryo,
(it jumped on the ground causing the purchase of a crash kit.)
boom, feathering shaft, gromets, landing gear, tailshaft,
mainshaft, main gear

Any help in finding where my interference is comming from would be great!!
08-30-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Isaac F
Key Veteran
Location: Panama Republic of Panama

Check your SWITCH on the heli. Some time the vibration damage it and make false contatc.
I always mout the switch on double side tape to insolate from vibration.
Also swap your RX battery, maybe has a damage cell that sometime dont make good contac because vibrations.

Good luck,

Isaac
08-30-2002 Over year old.
 
 
oldfart
Elite Veteran
Location: Vancouver, Canada

glitches

1 - Yes Isaac, check the switch (replace it with another and see what happens)
2 - Also the battery pack. If one of the contacts between the cells are intermittant it can cause this.
3 - Check the bearings in the motor. Your symptoms are what will happen just as your bearings start to go. If try a different engine to make sure.
4 - Check the contacts of the RF module that plugs into the back of the TX, be sure they are clean and secure.
5 - Check the wires to the stick pots inside the TX.
NOTE: 4 and 5 should be checked by a service depot. But you can test if the TX is at fault by using someone elses TX
6 - Try a different Gyro. They can also cause RF interference.
08-30-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Falcon50SS
Senior Heliman
Location: Peoira, Arizona

Well I have replaced the battery and switch, and no the switch is screwed to the plate in front, but Ihave not looked at the engine as a possible source I'll try another engine. Just so happen to have one.

Any chance the metal fan might cause rf interference? I'll chance it anyway.

Thanks, Bill
08-30-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX

Couple of questons...

Falcon50ss,
Couple of questions..
1) PCM or PPM?

2) Can you get the heli to duplicate the hits on the ground with the motor running?

3) Did you inspect EVERY bearing that bears a load after your crash?

4) Does the glitch always appear on a single channel? If so, which one?

5) Whip or full length antenna?

6) Any reduction in the range or ground check from prior to all this?

I need a little more info on this glitch. I mean how severe is it? Just a bump or does it lock for a while?
08-30-2002 Over year old.
 
 
crashed2
Heliman
Location: Steamboat Springs, CO.

The jumps

Now that you have all this advice, here is some more.
Are you using metal geared servos? I was having the almost the same problem on my Falcon III, execpt mine didn't happen on the ground. Mine would happen in a hover and just drop straight down until it almost hit the ground. Talk about a heart stopper. I chased the thing all over the place, trying to make sure everything was tight, and so on. I was using brand new metal geared servos, and it didn't seem to do it before I installed them, so I replaced the gears with plastic ones. Guess what? I don't have the problem any more. If you are using metal geared servos, try replacing the gears with plastic ones.

Good Luck
09-01-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Falcon50SS
Senior Heliman
Location: Peoira, Arizona

I think I have found it!

But just to clear a few points;

The glitch was never just on a single channel, it could just be seen a whole lot better on collective or alerion, and the glitch never locked out the heli completely and was never severe while in the air, it was only really bad once, just enough to jump up then down cause a boomstrike while at the same time trying to play golf with the concrete in my front drive way.

1) I have one metal gear servo on the tail and it has been changed more than once, didn't help.

2) Full length wire antenna, I've seen first hand how those whips can break and not be seen easy; a guys chopper nearly took out an SUV due to that antenna cracking inside the plastic.

3) I did check all bearings after the crash, front to back and could not find one that was rough or loose.

4) On the idea that the motor might have a bad bearing I changed the motor, and at the same time, I did find one thing disturbing; there are two screws that tie the fan shroud to the frame, and I noticed that there were rub marks around that hole in the lower frame set, so I installed screws higher up where the bottom half fits into the upper frames. This morning I fired it up and went flying so far no problems with glitches I will keep this updated with my trials.
09-01-2002 Over year old.
 
 
LongbowAV8R
Senior Heliman
Location: Aberdeen, MD

living under the curse...

Falcon,

I too have been glitched... I have owned my Raven for just under a year and I have more fuel through it from hovering trying to reproduce the glitch so I could replace the necessary components than I do actually flying it. I have went through numerous receivers, transmitters, engines, and have rebuilt the aircraft so many times that it hurts...

Good idea on the fan shroud screws... I didn't even think that they might be the issue... I was looking so hard at the rest of the machine and there is most deffinitely screw rub marks under the screw heads... I moved them up to tack the shroud to the upper frame portion of the shroud... we'll see if that works tomorrow.

***Here is a good question for some of you more experienced R/C folks***

I have been into R/C for a little over a year now and I am really curious... I have learned quite a bit about what makes up and exactly how an FM Rx processes and distributes info to your flight electronics in my quest to end the glitch.

How well does the ceramic filters in the Rx's really filter out the extranneous RF energy that is all about us?

This is something that I really want to know... being in Korea there isn't exactly a whole lot of open space to fly in so you do your best at the local ball park or soccer field... or if you are daring and you trust your aircraft, over the river is a really great place to fly (you can't be worried about interference though... or else... bloop bloop bloop...)

I just ask this because almost every site that is halfway decent out here has a radio station antenna, sattelite station, or TV station fairly close to it and I really want to know if these devices generally cause a high interference rate with our sport. Thanks.

Fly safe,
Cory

Never Leave Your Wingman!!!
The models will (and normally do) follow me everywhere....
09-21-2002 Over year old.
 
 
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